Editorial: Illinois superintendents cash in while students fall behind

Education’s dirty little secret in Illinois is that if you want to make the big bucks, you ditch the classroom for a cushy gig in administration. - The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune

We should air that out in the open.
The Tribune’s recent analysis of 2024 salaries shed light on the pay of school district superintendents versus student achievement, highlighting some of the districts where the problem is worst...

• We think it’s worth reflecting on superintendent pay in light of how much regular taxpayers in that district earn, as well as the property tax burden they’re forced to shoulder.

A prime example is Dolton School District 148, which serves a shrinking number of pre-K through eighth-grade students. To be exact, 1,968 in 2024, down 10% from 2,197 in 2019.

• Longtime Superintendent Kevin Nohelty, who retired after the 2024-25 school year, raked in a base salary of $450,000 for serving as CEO of this relatively small district...
• Under Nohelty, the district was deeply troubled academically. Just 19% of students were proficient in reading, and a dismal 6.6% were proficient in math in 2024.

But what’s happening in Dolton is just one example...